Mac keep-awake app for coding agents
Keep your Mac awake while your coding agent works.
Let It Brew is a free, open-source macOS menu-bar app that uses lifecycle hooks to keep your Mac awake while Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, or GitHub Copilot CLI is Working, then releases the hold when the session becomes Idle.
How it works
Lifecycle hooks, not process detection
Supported agents send lifecycle events through installed hooks. Let It Brew turns those events into two visible states: Working and Idle. A Working session keeps the Mac awake unless a safety gate releases the hold. Once every tracked session is Idle or gone, the hold is released.
Supported agents
Four local coding agents
- Claude CodeLocal lifecycle hooks
- CodexLocal lifecycle hooks
- OpenCodeLocal plugin hooks
- GitHub Copilot CLILocal CLI hooks
Privacy
Local by design
Session metadata stays on your Mac. No account, cloud service, or telemetry is used, and Let It Brew does not read agent prompts or responses. A manual update check contacts GitHub.
Installation
macOS 14 or later
Download the signed, notarized disk image from the official GitHub release, drag Let It Brew to Applications, and enable its integrations. Closed-lid work requires approval for the bundled background service.
Limitations
Local sessions only
Let It Brew does not track cloud agents, remote SSH work, or agent activity on another computer. It relies on lifecycle hooks instead of process, CPU, or transcript detection. If a completion event never arrives, a 12-hour backstop clears stale sessions; Stop Tracking can release them sooner.
Open source
Inspect the same code you download
Let It Brew is free software released under the Apache 2.0 license. Read the source on GitHub, download the current release, or compare Let It Brew with Caffeine and Amphetamine.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
- What Mac app can keep my computer awake while my coding agent works?
- Let It Brew keeps the Mac awake while a supported local coding agent is Working and releases its hold when the session is Idle.
- Which coding agents does Let It Brew support?
- Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, and GitHub Copilot CLI.
- Does it detect running processes?
- No. Let It Brew uses lifecycle hooks and shows only Working or Idle for each tracked session.
- Does it send my coding activity to a server?
- No. There is no account, cloud service, or telemetry. Session metadata remains local.
- Is Let It Brew free and open source?
- Yes. The source is available on GitHub under Apache 2.0.
- Can it keep a MacBook awake with the lid closed?
- Yes, after the bundled background service is approved. Closed-lid support applies to tracked local agent work.
Ready when you are
Stop watching the laptop. Let it brew.
Let It Brew keeps your Mac awake while your agents are working, then lets it sleep when the work stops.
